Machine for partially or completely disassembling wood pallets

Abstract

A machine for disassembling all or a portion of wood pallets formed of paralleled stringers with deck boards, nailed to the top and bottom edges, the machine having a support arm onto which a wood pallet is positioned with a stringer in engagement with the support arm, the deck boards of the pallet extending to either side of the support arm, a carrier arm supported parallel to and spaced from the support arm, a hub slidable on the carrier arm, opposed cutter wheels rotatably supported to the hub, the periphery of the cover wheels being adjacent the opposed sides of the support arm, and a reciprocable cylinder-piston for moving the hub and therefore the cutter wheels to cut the nails holding the pallet deck boards to the stringer positioned on the support arm.

What is claims is: 
     
       1. A machine for completely or partially disassemblying wood pallets of the type made of paralleled, spaced apart stringers onto which deck boards are retained by nails, the deck boards extending perpendicular to the stringers and being nailed to both sides of the stringers, the assembled pallets providing a bottom support surface of deck boards and a top material receiving surface of deck boards, the machine comprising: an elongated support arm onto which a wood pallet is positioned with a stringer in paralleled engagement with the support arm and deck boards extending to either side;   an elongated carrier arm supported parallel to and spaced from the support arm;   a hub slideably supported by said carrier arm;   opposed cutter wheels rotatably supported to said hub, the periphery of the cutter wheels being adjacent the opposed sides of said support arm;   means on said support arm to restrain a pallet stringer thereon from laterally shifting; and   means to reciprocably extend said hub and cutter wheels to cut the nails between deck boards and a stringer positioned on said support arm.   
     
     
       2. A pallet disassemblying machine according to claim 1 wherein said support arm is variable in width. 
     
     
       3. A pallet disassemblying machine according to claim 1 wherein said support arm is variable in width and wherein the spacing between said cutter wheels is variable. 
     
     
       4. A pallet disassemblying machine according to claim 1 wherein said means to reciprocably extend said hub and cutter wheels includes a hydraulically actuated cylinder piston. 
     
     
       5. A pallet disassemblying machine according to claim 1 wherein said support arm comprises: a first elongated portion having an outer board engaging edge;   a second elongated portion having an outer board engaging edge, the said engaging edges being opposite and parallel to each other;   guide members between said support arm first and second portions providing guide paths set at an angle to said support arm first and second portions whereby as said second portion is laterally displaced relative to said first portion the width between said board engaging edges changes; and   means to selectively vary the lateral displacement of said support arm second portion relative to said support arm first portion.   
     
     
       6. A pallet disassembly machine according to claim 5 wherein said means to vary the lateral displacement of said support arm second portion relative to said first portion includes a hydraulically controllable cylinder piston. 
     
     
       7. A pallet disassembly machine according to claim 1 including: a vertical post member, said support arm being affixed at one end thereof to said post member and extending horizontally therefrom, and said carrier arm being affixed at one end thereof to said post member and extending horizontally therefrom above said support arm, said post member, support arm and carrier arm being in a common vertical plane.   
     
     
       8. A machine for completely or partially disassemblying wood pallets of the type made of paralleled, spaced apart stringers onto which deck boards are retained by nails, the deck boards extending perpendicular to the stringers and being nailed to both sides of the stringers the assembled pallets providing a bottom support surface of deck boards and a top material receiving surface of deck boards, the machine comprising: an elongated support arm onto which a wood pallet is positioned with a stringer in paralleled engagement with the support arm and deck boards extending to either side;   means to selectably vary the width of said support arm to substantially correspond to the width of the stringer supported thereon;   an elongated carrier arm supported parallel to and spaced from the support arm;   a hub slideably supported by said carrier arm;   opposed cutter wheels rotatably supported to said hub, the periphery of the cutter wheels being adjacent the opposed sides of said support arm;   means to vary the spacing between said cutter wheels to substantially correspond to the width of said support arm;   means on said support arm to restrain a pallet stringer thereon from laterally shifting; and   means to reciprocably extend said hub and cutter wheels to cut the nails between deck boards and a stringer positioned on said support arm.   
     
     
       9. A pallet disassemblying machine according to claim 8 wherein said means to reciprocably extend said hub and cutter wheels includes a hydraulically actuated cylinder piston. 
     
     
       10. A pallet disassemblying machine according to claim 8 wherein said support arm comprises: a first elongated portion having an outer board engaging edge;   a second elongated portion having an outer board engaging edge, the said engaging edges being opposite and parallel each other;   guide members between said support arm first and second portions providing guide paths set at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said support arm first and second portions whereby as said second portion is laterally displaced relative to said first portion the width between said board engaging edges changes; and   means to selectively vary the lateral displacement of said support arm second portion relative to said support arm first portion to thereby provide said means to selectably vary the width of said support arm.   
     
     
       11. A pallet disassembly machine according to claim 10 wherein said means to vary the lateral displacement of said support arm second portion relative to said first portion includes a hydraulically controllable cylinder-piston. 
     
     
       12. A pallet disassembly machine according to claim 8 including: a vertical post member, said support arm being affixed at one end thereof to said post member and extending horizontally therefrom, and said carrier arm being affixed at one end thereof to said post member and extending horizontally therefrom above said support arm, said post member, support arm and carrier arm being in a common vertical plane.   
     
     
       13. A pallet disaseembly machine according to claim 8 wherein said opposed cutter wheels are resiliently biased to move towards each other and to engage the opposed sides of said support arm wherein the spacing between said cutter wheels is automatically determined by the width of said support arm.